Definition of Variety: The quality or state of being varied; mixture or succession of different things; variety; multiplicity Something that varies or differs from others of the same general type; one of several things that are similar; has destiny; such as, varieties of wood, earth, rocks, etc.

“Variety is the very spice of life, That gives it all its flavor.” – William Cowper, English poet

“The essence of beauty is unity in variety.” – W. Somerset Maugham, British playwright

Last night, I had a long drive home from a storytelling conference that made me think. Between the creative ideas offered over the weekend and time alone while depending on “Cruise Control”, I had the time and space to clarify and re-evaluate my direction(s).

I realized that with my new network marketing company, I was getting carried away into concentrating too much on one of the many businesses in my “portfolio career.” My enthusiasm and passion for my career is the result of experiencing my variety daily, weekly and monthly. Yes, I know there are times when I have to focus on one area entirely. And yet this must never be to the detriment of other parts of my career.

To remind myself of my overwhelming need for variety, I think about the topic of today’s article. And I also found some great quotes from the experts:

• “The variety of mere nothings gives more pleasure than the uniformity of something.” – Jean Paul, German author
• “Variety is more than a means to avoid boredom, since art is more than an entertainment for the senses.” – Rudolf Arnheim, German artist
• “Variety is the soul of pleasure.” – Aphra Behn, English playwright
• “Our minds are like our stomachs; they are sharpened by the change of their food, and the variety gives them just as much a fresh appetite.” – Marcus Fabius Quintilian, Roman philosopher
• “The constant variety is the most interesting part of my job.” – Tabitha Soren, American celebrity
• “Similarity is the mother of disgust, variety cures it.” – Petrarch, Italian poet

Some with a slightly different touch:

• “People who cultivate a variety of skills also seem brighter, more energetic and more adaptable than those who know how to do just one thing.” – Robert Shea, American author
• “Look at the growth, look at how much time people are spending on the net, and look at the variety of things they’re doing. It’s all really good, so I’m encouraged by the fundamentals behind the growth in usage on the net.” – Meg Whitman, American businesswoman
• “The difference between the crazy and the sane…is that the sane have variety when they tell stories. The crazy just have one story that they talk about over and over again.” -Maxine Hong Kingston, American writer
• “We used to lift weights a couple of times a week, we did a lot of running. I enjoyed the variety.” – Eric Heiden, American athlete
• “But while doing that, he had been pursuing a variety of fields in science and technology, including work in molecular biology, genetic engineering, etc.” – K. Eric Drexler, American scientist

I love the Brekin Meyer quote: “I think reading is important for a variety of things. I mean, first of all, it’s a way of getting information and finding out what’s going on in the world. But it also helps your imagination.” – Breckin Meyer, American actor

How do you feel about variety? Do you make sure there is enough to add spice to your career and life?